Dust To Dust
by HoodiniDXD
Summary: After the death of Cayde-6, a new war has begun. Against Uldren Sov and his Barons, Cypher and Petra Venj begin their quest to avenge Cayde. But like always, the forces of the Darkness have a few aces up their sleeves... (Will follow the Forsaken Questline and the ongoing story of the Dreaming City)
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Destiny, Bungie does.**

 **So, I've been sucked back into the universe of Destiny, with all the beautiful and amazing lore behind it! (Thank you Byf for all of the amazing lore videos)**

 **Ever since I played Forsaken, this story has been on my mind. Essentially, the story of my character. An Exo I named Cypher. This chapter will serve as a small prologue, and dig a little into both the deeper lore of Destiny, and the relationships Cypher has with certain characters.**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

 **~DTD~**

It's always the same field.

I'm always walking down an open field, towards this tall tower. No, not the Tower, but a different one. This tower is dark, and a warm wind gently blows behind me. I never understood why I'm going to this tower, I just am.

Its's calm, quiet. It always is.

At least, it's quiet for a little while.

Before I know it, waves upon waves of people start to fight me. Me against everyone else. For the most part, I don't fully know these people. Faces I don't fully recognize. Sometimes I think I've seen a person within the streets of the City on my patrols, or another Awoken I fought against in the Crucible. Some don't even look they belong in this time period, as if they were from a time long before I 'awoke' as a Guardian.

But then, there are the few faces I do know. And they always hurt to see.

I can never try and talk them down, or even try to run. My body always acts on its own, throwing punches or pulling the trigger of a gun before I can even think. And then it's on to the next one. All for the sole purpose of making it to that damned tower.

From the few times I've written down the experience of the dream, of the Deep Stone Crypt, I can say for sure that I would never fight these people, even if my life depended on it.

I've seen Ikora, who despite being the Warlock vanguard and even though I'm a Hunter, has become the closest thing to a Mother figure to me. Being an Exo, I don't really have any real parents. Or at least, I don't think so…

I see Cayde, my mentor and my friend. The one I'd eat ramen with after a particularly difficult patrol. The one I'd always lose to poker to. It honours me to know that I'm one of the closest friends to him.

And then…there's Petra.

Petra…is someone I can't fully describe. Throughout the uprising of the House of Wolves and the Taken War, her and I got close through many visits to the Vestian Outpost. Eventually, we became close friends. And eventually, I came to realize that…

I didn't want to be just friends.

It's almost ironic to think about. A machine built for war, falling in love. Sad, isn't it? But, from the few entries I have, it's always hard to think about. The pages are always crumpled, as if I had a hard time controlling my emotions before I end up forgetting about the dream for the time being.

I guess it's because I do have a hard time.

Huh, it's kind of funny to think about.

The slayer of the Black Garden, the one who defeated Atheon, and brought down the Hive gods Crota and Oryx, the one who won the Red War, always failing to reach this tower.

Sigh…I have a feeling that this dream of mine…is some sort of warning.

 **~DTD~**

It's a warm sunny day, and I leaned against a wall in the tower as I sat, intending to catch a few minutes of shut-eye. I shut my eyes, letting out a small sigh. Soon, I hear a few footsteps coming my way.

"Hey, Cypher! Got a request from our favourite Queen's Guard, wanna come with?"

I looked up from a little bench in the Tower to see Cayde standing in front of me, his trusty handcannon on his hips. His face is set in a little smirk, he knows exactly how I feel.

"Cayde, I've told you before," I sigh tiredly, "if I ever say no to a mission with either you or Petra, you are to bring me to Banshee and get my head fixed."

He lets out a small chuckle, fixing his hood slightly. "Ah, it never hurts to hear a little bit of confirmation!" He waves his hand, beckoning me to follow him. With a small grunt, I push myself up from my small spot of relaxation and walk along side him. "There seems to be a small prison riot at the Prison of Elders, and she needs our help to…shall we say, 'calm the masses?'"

I snort. "By small, do you mean the whole prison is up in arms?" He nods his head, smiling widely.

"Ah Cy, you know me all too well! Now gear up, we're leaving in an hour." He leaves me at the junction between the Hangar and the Courtyard of the tower.

"Hey, Cayde!" I call out to him before he gets too far. He stops, and turns to me, a curious look on his face. "Did you at least tell Ikora or Zavala?" His grin grows, and he shrugs in the casual way he always does.

"I left a note, and don't worry, you have written permission from me to come with, so don't go worrying that Mama Ikora is gonna be upset." I shake my head, and wave him off.

Well, once more unto the fray. Shouldn't be too bad, right?

 **~DTD~**

 **Oh Cypher, if only you knew…**

 **And, prologue done! This story will follow Forsaken pretty closely, but there will be some of my own parts! And, like always, there will be a ship! I know, curse me for being a hopeless romantic.**

 **For my followers waiting on my other stories, don't worry! They're coming, but I wanna focus on this.**

 **See you next chapter!**

 **-Hoodini**


	2. The Beginning of the End

**Disclaimer: I do not own Destiny, Bungie does. I only own Cypher.**

 **Aaaaaand we're back! Hope you guys enjoy!**

 **~DTD~**

 **Prison of Elders Main Entrance**

 **Deep in Vestian Territory**

 **November 12** **th** **, 3412**

 **Cypher-4 Personal Log**

" _We're pulling up to the POE now, Cy."_

"Thanks Tana." I nodded my thanks to my Ghost, letting her disappear back into my suit. Or, where ever Ghosts go when they aren't hovering around their Guardians. I switched over to Cayde's frequency, and heard his voice crackle on my headset.

"Ah, there she is Cy, our favourite ladykiller." I looked forward to see Petra standing in front of the main gates, looking towards our ships with a smile. I felt myself begin to transmat, and blinked to feel myself land next to Cayde.

"Alright, step one done: have a badass entrance." I chuckled at Cayde's words, and heard Petra let out a huff of laughter.

"You two always aim to impress, don't you?" Her voice held a hint on amusement, and the soft smile on her face sent my heart/central processer into spirals.

 _Thank the Traveler I'm wearing my helmet._

Cayde clapped his hands together and rubbed them in excitement. "Ooh ooh! Do the thing please!"

Petra rolled her eyes, but pulled out her knife. She brought it up and it lifted out of her hand and spun before she snatched it out of the air. Cayde shuddered, and made a noise that I honestly could not recreate with dignity, even if I tried. "That will never not freak me out," he said with a smile.

"I'll do it again later, but right now, we've got a problem." Petra crossed her arms and began to brief us on the situation. "Gen-pop is running wild within the Prison. I've got Corsairs all over trying to contain, but none of us can get to the main control center." She looked towards the Prison, and her voice began to be laced with worry. "If even one Wing gets compromised, I don't think I need to say how bad it'll be for the system."

I nodded my head. "Don't worry Petra, we've got this." I smiled at her, and her shoulders lifted up slightly. She began to move towards the Prison, taking an entrance into one of the many Blocks.

"I'll keep in contact, both of you stay safe." She locked eyes with me, and spoke again. "Promise me that." I nodded, a shiver going down my spine.

She turned around, and the door behind her shut, leaving Cayde and I standing alone. Cayde pulled out Ace, and began to load his handcannon. "Alright Cy, this'll be a Cayde rift in 6/4 time. Watch out for the rests, and whoever gets the most kills gets free ramen tonight!" He smiled towards me, and raised his hands above his head. "Now let's go to prison!" He jumped off the platform onto one of the many bridges beneath us. "WOOHOOO!"

I shook my head and smiled, loading my SUROS Regime, and ran towards the gateway, hearing Cayde's whoops and gunshots echoing below me.

Just another day at the office.

 **~DTD~**

"Can I just say, I'm having the time of my life right now?"

I watched Cayde toss an Incendiary grenade over his shoulder, and two Cabal Phalanxes fly sky high from the explosion.

"Show off!" I yelled towards him with smile. He bowed, and rushed onto the third level. I ran forward, firing a few shots towards the Hive Acolytes above me. They dropped like flies.

"Alright Cypher, we're nearing the control center. Race you there!" I sprinted forward, tossing a knife into a Knights head, watching his body crumble and disintegrate.

" _Cy I swear, if you do anything as stupid as Cayde does-"_

"Don't worry Tana, I promise. I'm not a rookie anymore!" I heard Tana sigh, almost seeing the Ghost roll her eye.

" _Yeah, and the last time I heard that, you nearly were eaten by a Worm God."_ I shuddered at the memory of my first encounter with Xol. Not a fun time.

The gate in front of me opened, and I watched Cayde drop down onto a Legionary. The Cabal stumbled backwards, and I heard Cayde yell.

"Whoa whoa whoa, this was not part of the plan!" I watched in horror as the two stumbled off the edge of the platform, and rushed forward.

"Cayde!" As I ran, I saw a shank begin to fly upwards, with Cayde holding on precariously. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Scratch that, totally part of the plan. I'll meet you at the control center!" I watched as the Shank flew off, with Cayde trying to steer it. "Left. Left! Your other left!" Tana let out a groan at the sight.

" _I swear, he's trying to get himself killed."_

"Now now, we both know you like him, you just don't like seeing anyone be dumb."

" _Well yeah, and I don't understand why more people, or more Ghosts act like me! I want all the Guardians to be safe, it's what we're here for!"_

I let out a small chuckle, and patted my trusty Regime. I jumped down from where I stood right down into a battle between the Hive and the Cabal.

 _Well, best leave well enough alone._

I snuck past quietly, taking out the few Psions and Thrall that were in my way, to come face to face with a console. I pulled up Tana, and she began to scan it.

" _Uhh Cayde, this says we need 'Warden' level clearance. Any ideas?"_

"Oop! Yeah, I got you two. Stand by for promotion!"

Tana let out a small giggle at Cayde's clumsiness, before the door in front of us opened. I rushed in, Tana transmatting back into my suit, and saw Cayde at the main control panel.

"Oh boy, you in front of a control board is never good." I heard Tana let out a bark of laughter at my quip, and Cayde mockingly glared at me.

"Oh haha Cy, very funny. You're just in time to seem me shut this prison riot…" His hand flipped the main lever down, "…down!" I heard a whirring, only to hear it die down soon after. I stared at Cayde, a small smile on my face. "Ooooor maybe not."

I heard something behind me, and saw these panels start rising from the ground. Numerous Hive began to filter from these panels, and I saw their usual gunk all over the wiring. "Oh man, it's like the pistons on Titan all over again!" I whined. Yes, whined. I just shined my armour!

Cayde smiled. "I'll deal with the controls in here, you clean up that gunk!" I let out a growl of frustration, and switched to my sidearm, the Swift Verdict. I fired towards the heads of the Acolytes that crawled out of the panels, tossing a Vortex grenade towards the first panel covered in gunk. I fired at a second panel, watching the Hive…whatever it was, crack off. The two panels lowered into the ground, and I ran towards Cayde.

"Alright, that should do it!" He placed a hand on the lever, but before he could pull it down, Tana appeared next to my head.

"Don't forget to purge the buffers!"

Cayde smiled, before it faltered. "Yeah, of course…how do I do that?"

"Press the red button." Cayde turned around, and saw the wall of red buttons. I turned Tana, about to ask which one before Cayde screamed out.

"They're all red!"

Tama let out a sigh of exasperation, before firing back. "Then press ALL OF THEM!"

I watched and held back a snort as I watched Cayde hesitate for a moment before flailing his arms around, tapping every button he could. To our mutual surprise, his dance actually worked, with all of the buttons flashing green. He smirked at Tana, before he grabbed the lever. "That should do it!" He slammed it down, only for it to flip back up, and the same whirring noise to die down. I heard the rising of panels, and I groaned.

"Traveler be damned…" I heard the yelling of Hive, and I instantly knew what was wrong. Tana groaned along with me.

" _It really is like Titan all over again…eugh, I HATE the Hive…"_ I silently agreed, tossing a smoke bomb towards my feet. I went invisible, quietly clearing out the gunk from the three panels that had risen, to see a cursed thrall in the middle of the group of Hive that had sprung up. One well placed shot later, and…well I'm sure you can imagine what happened.

I turned to see Cayde once again fiddling with something on the panel, before turning back to the lever. "Okay…now _this_ should do the trick!" Only for the noise to pop up. He kept slamming it down, chanting to himself. "Come on, come on, come on!" He eventually gave up, only for him to spin his Ace of Spades towards it.

"W-wait, Cayde!" It was too late. He fired three shots into the panel, and I cringed, waiting for something to explode.

Only for the power to being to start powering on. I blinked. "Huh. That actually worked." Cayde looked at me and threw his signature grin.

"Was there any doubt, little one?" I rolled my eyes, before Cayde turned back to the control panel. "Huh, the power's up and running, but now it's asking for some sort of secondary activation?" He looked towards me, and I threw a thumbs up. He smiled. "You know me all too well, Cypher. I'd go with you, but I heard the prison has some sort of turret system? I'll grab that door for you." I turned to see a door slide open, and immediately ran out the room towards the secondary terminal.

"Oh the turrets have a MANUAL mode…innnnnteresting." I let out a bark of laughter, seeing the turrets snap up, and start to fire upon the many Hive and Cabal still rioting. I jumped up, and pulled my arm back, feeling my trusty Void Bow materialize in my hands. I watched as the arrow flew into a crowd of Cabal, and watched as it split and anchored all of them in its grasp. Easy pickings for even the newest of Guardians. The door slid open, and I saw the terminal at the end of the room. Tana materialized, and flew towards it. Petra's voice filtered into my ear.

"Any updates on the situation?" I sat down on a ledge, letting my legs dangle over the edge, and saw her small form many levels below me. I waved, and I saw her wave back, a small giggle coming from my earpiece.

" _Almost done Petra, just finishing up locking down the cells. Another job well done, as to be expected from the Hero of the Tower and his trusty sidekick."_ I rolled my eyes and felt a flush of embarrassment. Tana had the habit of being the egotistical one of our duo, and she always would comment on how I was too humble.

"Aww, the Hero of the Tower? Tana, I knew you loved me!" Cayde's voice began to come through the connection, and this time I couldn't hold back my snort. With a voice so uninterested, I swear she practices it on her own time, Tana replied.

" _I was talking about Cy, but whatever you say Cayde."_

I could almost see Cayde's pout through the noise he made, and I placed my good ol' S.R on my back. I saw Cayde appear atop the main security hub, and he clapped his hands.

"Good job everyone! Ramen's on Cy, since I beat him on kills." I let out a shout of indignation, and heard Petra laugh heartily, before speaking.

"Sounds like a plan, just got to check on last thing…" I laid back and closed my eyes, intent on sleeping on the journey back to the Tower, only to hear Petra's voice grow in alarm. "No no no! Cayde, Cypher! This wasn't a prison riot! It's a prison break!"

Cayde and I locked eyes, his full of alarm. Evidently, he knew who, or what, was down there.

"Airlock Zero, it's the only way out this far down! I can't get there in time, they're gonna get out!" I saw Cayde looked up to the precariously strained wires holding up the Hub, and watched him pull out Ace.

 _Oh no. He's not actually gonna…_

Gunshots began to erupt, and I felt the entire level shake. I stumbled slightly, feeling the room I was in begin to tilt. "Cayde, you owe me big time for this!" The room seemed to freeze in place for a moment, and then it all began to fall. I felt my body begin to hover, and I shut my eyes, waiting for the slam.

And when it came, it really came.

 **~DTD~**

 **Ten minutes after the Security Hub collapse**

 **Maximum Security Wing**

 **Prison of Elders**

I awoke with a groan, with Tana blasting me with Light.

" _Oh thank the Traveler you're awake. I wasn't sure if I had enough Light to revive you this far down. You've been out for a little while, and comms are down. I swear, if I had a physical form other than this stupid shell, I would've kicked Cayde's ass a long time ago!"_ I put my hand on her to calm her down, and she turned to me. Her voice grew thick with emotion. _"It was like I was back in the Red War, trying to find you after Ghaul trapped the Traveler. I thought you were gone…"_

I held her shell softly, wiping a few stains of rebar off. I spoke softly, and smiled. "Come on…it's gonna take more than a fall to take out your Hero of the Tower, eh?" I heard her let out a quiet giggle, before transmatting away. I pushed myself onto my feet, and opted to switch out my S.R for my Crimson. With my handcannon firmly in my grasp, I slowly began to walk forward.

"Petra, Cayde. Anyone there? Respond." I swore under my breath, before moving towards a open cell. Tana scanned the area, and spoke.

" _There's ether, but it's…wrong. Somehow."_ I immediately snapped Crimson forward, my entire body on edge. _"Stay sharp Cypher…let's go home tonight."_ I nodded my head in agreement.

The prison was silent, and it only served to make me and Tana more nervous. She kept picking up on the Corrupted Ether trails, and I got real 'meeting the Taken for the first time' vibes. I walked in silence, only to look ahead to see… _something._

Its head snapped up, and looked at me. I let loose a scream, and picked up a lantern and sped towards me. More of it began to jump down from the various levels, each holding a lantern. I fired towards the wave of creatures, watching as a few fell down.

" _Shoot the lanterns!"_ At Tana's command, I did. I watched as the lantern exploded, sending the group flying in various directions, disintegrating. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, and relaxed slightly. I saw a ladder leading deeper into the prison, and cracked my neck, jumping down.

I grunted as my feet hit the ground.

 _I will never understand why Exo Guardians still suffer from fall damage…oh well._

I continued running through the halls and catwalks, running into more of those lantern creatures.

 _Thank the Traveler they don't have guns._

I walked up to a door, waiting for it to open. It opened slightly, jamming, and I watched as three more of those Corrupted Fallen look at me…

…with guns.

Fuck.

They seemed to disintegrate into ether trails, and the door opened. I followed them, only to get hit with this purple disk. It bounced off me, sending a wave of void energy through my body.

I can say, that without a doubt, that void energy fucking sucks getting hit with.

I whipped up Crimson, sending a hail of bullets towards the now visible creatures. Thankfully, bullets always seem to solve my problems.

" _I've been scanning the Vestian network on what these creatures are, and they seem to be called the Scorn…the ones with guns have been relegated to the callsign 'Raider', and the lantern creatures have been called 'Ravagers.' Unfortunately, there's more types of these things…"_ I sighed at Tana's information.

"Great, another faction in this war. As if the Taken weren't enough."

I reloaded, sighed, and continued walking. I felt surrounded as more of the Scorn started to jump out of their pods. One by one, they went down, and I felt Crimson's healing effect come into play multiple times.

"Tana, I've mentioned how much I hate the Void, right?"

" _Only about several hundred times, but you haven't said it recently, which honestly surprises me-two up above!"_

I flicked my hand up, my light forming a solar grenade. I didn't bother looking to see if it hit, but I smiled slightly when I heard the scream of two Scorn. I ran forward, rolling away from a Ravager's lantern smash, hitting it with a throwing knife. I heard it detonate as I got onto my feet and looked to see a door. It seemed like it was sealed up.

"I don't know if the Scorn are able to seal up doors, or the Awoken called it quits and sealed that part off."

" _I don't know which idea worries me more."_

"Me neither."

I shot open a nearby vent, crawling inside. Tana appeared next to my head, lighting up the path ahead. Rumbling from explosions kept knocking me back and forth. I was about to open my mouth when a blue glow flashed by my vision. I glanced up to see…something crawl towards the only path available to me.

"Cool, now it's like one of those horror stories that Eris used to tell."

I kept moving forward to drop inside a room. I grunted as I landed on my knees, only to hear another scream. I looked up to see a bunch of those glowing creatures start scuttling towards me. I fired towards one, only to watch a domino effect of explosions.

" _Well, looks like we found the Screebs."_

"Screebs?!" I yelled out incredulously. "That was the best name they could come up with?"

" _Well it's better than 'Cursed Thrall' isn't it?"_ Tana shot back. I grumbled out an agreement and continued forward.

We appeared to be in some sort of pipeline, and as I was dropping down, a wave of Light blasted me back against a wall. Ignoring the pain, my mind filled with panic, as did Tana's.

" _Nonono! That was Saber! She's gone! We have to move, now!"_ Tana began to freak out, and I pushed my metal legs to their limit, dropping down another hole into what seemed to be a small arena. I felt the room rattle, and looked up to see what looked like a mutated ogre slamming against a large door. Not wanting to waste time, I reached into my light to pull out my Golden gun and fired the six shots I had rapidly.

It turned around and started to shoot Arc bolts towards me. I kept firing, tossing every grenade and throwing knife I had available, and I heard more and more Scorn begin to start teleporting in.

"I don't have time for this!" I screamed out, jumping towards the Abomination, and dug my knife underneath what seemed to be its mask. After a struggle, it popped off, and it let loose a horrible screech, and fell. I ran towards the door, and began to pry it open, my Exo strength coming into play.

" _Just hold on Cayde! We're almost there!"_

Somehow…I knew it was too late.

 **~DTD~**

My breath coming out in waves, I maneuvered through the many twists and turns in the hall and entered an open room. At the end of it, stood a group of Scorn, but I knew that they were different than the ones I had faced. And smack in the middle of them was…

"Uldren Sov." He looked up, almost surprised, only to let out a small chuckle, before pointing towards something crumpled in the center of the room. With a feeling of horror, I realized it was Cayde. I looked back, to see Uldren holding up Ace.

"Don't worry," he spoke, "he didn't feel a thing." He began to laugh, and I pulled up Crimson only to watch the door close, separating Uldren and his group of Scorn from me. I ran forward, sliding towards Cayde, dropping Crimson to the floor with a clatter. Tana appeared next to me, doing all she could to help. I heard him cough and watched as Cayde's eyes refocused on me. I pulled off my helmet, so he could see that it was me.

"H-how's my hair?" He pointed at his horn and let out a weak laugh before he began to cough violently. The laugh I let out was tinged with sadness.

"Cayde, I'm sorry! I tried to get here quicker, I swear!" He placed his hand on mine, patting it softly.

"It's okay Cy, it's not your fault. I got cocky again…though I wish they didn't take Saber from me…" He closed his eyes and coughed again, the sadness from losing his partner taking hold. He laid his head on the floor, and kept coughing.

Tana appeared next to me, looking me in the eyes. _"I've done all I could. He only has a few moments left…I'm sorry Cypher."_ I felt my heart, or whatever Exo's had for a heart, break. I looked down to see Cayde looking straight at me.

"Now Cy…I need you to do two things for me, okay? Well, more like three things, but I'm sure you won't consider one of th-these a task." I nodded, listening with rapt attention, knowing that my brother in all aspects was on his last legs.

"One, get Ace back. If anyone were to have it, I want it to be you." I nodded, letting him catch his breath, his hand not letting go of mine. "Second, you tell Ikora and Zavala that…that the Vanguard was the best bet I ever lost." I let out a strangled sob at that but nodded again. "And third…you get off your ass and tell Petra how much she means to you. Now I don't want to hear 'but I'm a machine,' or any other bullshit like that! You know as well as I do that, we're more than that. Okay Cy? Could you do that for me?" I gripped his hand harder and nodded.

"Y-yeah, of course I can Cayde." I felt his grip grow weaker, and started shaking as my sobs overtook me.

"Thank you Cy…you're the…best…brother I could've…asked for." And with that, the lights in his eyes dimmed, and that was it.

He was gone. I pulled his body up and hugged it tightly, crying all the while. I heard Tana sniffle, and she too lost her usual composure. She rubbed against my head, crying as well.

I don't know how long we stayed like that, but I heard a rumble of footsteps, and looked up to see Petra leading a squadron of Corsairs. She stopped, and her hand flew to her mouth. She ran towards me, sliding down and scooping me up in a hug.

"I'm…so sorry Cypher…"

I could only shake my head in response.

 **~DTD~**

 **Official Vanguard Transcript**

 **Report of Prison Of Elders Incident**

 **-Major Riot quelled**

 **-Many Prisoners still able to escape, assign targets to various Guardians**

 **WARNING: HVT Uldren Sov has escaped**

 **WARNING: HVT Scorn Leadership Escaped. Codenames: Fanatic, Rider, Machinist, Mindbender, Trickster, Hangman, Rifleman, Mad Bomber. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.**

 **-Loss of Cayde-6, Hunter Vanguard**

 **-All Guardians to abandon patrols within the Reef, focus on POE Escapees**

 **Personal Note from Lord Shaxx: Take the fight to them Guardians. Don't let Cayde's death be in vain. And keep an eye out on Cypher-4. Do anything you are able to help him, because we all know this fight is his own personal one. We all know how close Cayde and Cypher were. This note will not appear to Ikora and Zavala. Keep it that way.**

 **~DTD~**

 **And done! So, Shaxx will play a part in this story. Not a huge main character part, but more than just a side character. Will keep you all posted on that. See you all next time.**

 **-HoodiniDXD**


End file.
